Isabel Solmonson & Elliot Cohen

January 23
|
Palm Beach, CA

Photographed by: Kat Braman Photography

Elliot Cohen was flipping through the New York Post one day when he noticed a vaguely familiar face smiling in one of the photos. He suddenly realized he had met Isabel Solmonson in passing through a shared acquaintance. Elliot then called up their mutual friend and asked if she would properly introduce him to the brunette beauty. “We went for a casual drink that turned into the best date I have ever had,” he shares. Isabel was equally smitten: “As soon as I walked in and laid eyes on him, my heart definitely skipped a beat,” she reveals.

With the help of his older sisters, the groom carefully selected an engagement ring in hopes of asking the question he had set his heart on from the very beginning. “It may sound corny,” the groom tells, “but looking back, I think that I somehow immediately knew she was the special one on our first date.”

Armed with the perfect ring, Elliot planned the proposal under the guise of a weekend getaway to the Caribbean island of St. Barthélemy, located in the French West Indies. He and his unsuspecting sweetheart enjoyed the sunset from their luxurious hotel overlooking the beach before dinner. Shortly following drinks, Isabel recalls being handed the menu, with ‘Will you marry me?’ written inside. “I looked over and there he was on his knee,” confides the bride. “You know when you imagine a fairy-tale proposal? It was a dream come true!”

Following their return stateside, the couple tackled wedding planning as a team. “We really wanted the process to feel fun and inclusive for everyone,” Isabel says. The bride took advice from all corners of her family and even asked a close friend to craft their save the dates and wedding invitations. Throughout it all, the groom was eager to be helpful and supportive.

When choosing the site for their nuptials, the couple wanted a setting meaningful to them both as well as one that could host a grand party. “We knew from the outset that we wanted to be surrounded by our friends,” explains the bride. “Therefore, we needed an accessible location and a sufficiently large venue. Not as easy as it sounds to find for nearly 400 people!” The pair then decided upon Palm Beach, Florida, where they both grew up spending the holidays with family. Their destination of choice, a museum, had even hosted one of the couple’s first dates when they attended a New Year’s Eve bash. After ensuring all of their requirements were met, the couple began to bedeck the site in preparation for the celebration of their love.

On the evening of the ceremony, guests found their seats among gleaming Lucite chairs situated neatly under the glass-paneled ceiling of the museum’s pavilion. The immense gazebo allowed for the feel of the outdoors while also alleviating any potential weather concerns. Ivory and pale-pink flower petals were strewn at the bottoms of column-glass vases, in which floating candles flickered within. The flame of these aisle markers, coupled with glowing lamps along the walls of the room, added a warmth to the massive 19th-century railway palace.

A string quartet played instrumental versions of contemporary songs, such as “Let It Go” from Disney’s Frozen, which played as the flower girls paced their way along the path. “It was so cute,” says the bride. “The girls had been practicing for months and totally stole the show!”

As Isabel made her way down the aisle in an ivory A-line gown, she smiled sweetly at her friends and family, her loveliness highlighted by a cathedral-length veil. She clutched a tight French-style bouquet of snowy blooms, simple enough to accentuate her fun wedding emoji manicure and the “Mrs. C” ring gifted by her bridesmaids. For the groom, this was one of his two favorite moments: “Seeing Isabel as she walked down the aisle; beautiful, smiling, and radiant,” he smiles. His second favorite came next as the couple stood under the Lucite chuppah adorned with alabaster florals, reciting their vows.

The traditional religious ceremony was officiated by a rabbi and accompanied by a cantor, whose lovely tenor voice pulled at the heartstrings of everyone in attendance. “There were a lot of laughs and tears of joy,” the bride says. “Good thing we had a ceremony guide with a tissue attached!” Guests then enjoyed the splendor of the grand hall for cocktails, which later led them to the west room for a sit-down dinner. Museum tours were also offered amidst dining, drinking, and dancing.

Along the two wedding-party tables, blossoms rested in mirror-pleated troughs. On multiple long tables, arrangements of glass candelabra and silver and gold mercury-glass vases held florals, succulents, and berries. Glittering gold table numbers helped direct guests to their seats. “I call it a tasteful smattering of bling!” the bride illustrates. The varied heights of centerpieces allowed for easy conversation across the table as attendees enjoyed their meals. Diamond-shaped cookies with revelers’ names, and a card and silver pencil engraved with #isabelliot were also prepared for each invitee, asking them to leave their advice to the newlyweds.

After dinner, guests returned to the pavilion, which had been rearranged for dessert and dancing. The couple’s five-tiered wedding cake comprised of banana, chocolate, strawberry, hazelnut, and coconut layers was accented with gold brushstrokes and flowers, appealing to every palate.

While the nuptials were teeming with a large amount of friends and family, the bride offers advice after having to work through travel difficulties. “Be prepared for the unexpected,” she recommends. “I considered the possibility of a snow storm in the Northeast that could cause travel delays, but I never anticipated that we would have a massive blizzard that would close down every airport from Atlanta to Maine for two days, wreaking last-minute anxieties.”

Fortunately, most guests managed to rearrange flights in order to attend the wedding, making it a night to remember. “It goes by too fast,” confides the bride. “I most certainly loved every minute and still can’t believe it’s over!”